


Halls of Marble, Rooms of Gold

by Gwalchmei



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Case Fic, F/M, First Meetings, Future Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Padmé Amidala, Role Reversal, Senator Anakin Skywalker, Tatooine Slave Culture (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28876266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwalchmei/pseuds/Gwalchmei
Summary: Jedi Padawan Padmé Naberrie is assigned to protect the upstart Senator from Tatooine. It doesn't go exactly as she planned.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 22
Kudos: 208





	Halls of Marble, Rooms of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on the gorgeous role swap AU comics by oifaaa on Tumblr and takes a small amount of dialogue, as well as some outfits from them. So check those out. 
> 
> There's also a sprinkling of the Tatooine slave culture that came from Fialleril.

“So, who are we meant to be protecting?”

Padawan Naberrie and Jedi Knight Kenobi went quickly down the senate hallways.

“The senator from Tatooine. Apparently, half the senate wants him dead.” They had only gotten the assignment several minutes ago, but in cases such as this every second was precious.

“Wait I thought he’d only been a senator for a month. How could he have already made so many enemies?”

Passing through the senate’s vestibule led them to the cavernous senate room. For the first time Padmé heard nothing but quiet in this place. The senator they were sent to protect was nowhere to be seen in his suite. Instead, he was the subject of every monitor around them, somehow mounting the platform of another senator halfway across the room and wrangling him to the edge.

“The council didn’t say, but I do have some theories,” Obi-Wan said.

The senator’s skin was tan and glowing, his grimace not enough to hide the strong face beneath. By all appearances he could have been some sort of spice smuggler, a blaster at his hip and his boots and vest in warm colors. He was flushed, but hardly breathing hard before he broke the cursed silence in this place of speeches, “Do you want to try repeating that, you fucking wimp!”

Padmé tore her eyes away and addressed her friend, “You cannot be serious.”

Mischief tore through his face. “Oh, deadly.” Padmé groaned. “The first assassination attempt was two nights ago, so he needs round-the-chrono babysitting. I wish you luck with him,” he said as he tried to back out back into the hallway.

“Wait! No way, I thought this was an assignment for both of us.”

“Well, yes. But someone has to track down the assassin, now don’t they.” She gave him one last pleading look. “Good luck, young one.” And he was gone.

When she turned back to look at the Senator, he had somehow pulled his opponent to the very edge of the platform and if he wasn’t careful those assassin’s wages were really going to go to waste.

“Well, kriff.” At least this assignment probably wouldn’t be boring. 

Once a recess was called the Senator from Tatooine didn’t even return to his own platform. He had somehow scurried into one of the many halls in the vast complex and Padmé had to ascend three levels and search for twenty minutes before she came up behind him. If she didn’t know better, she would say that he was trying to ditch someone.

“Senator Skywalker!” He didn’t turn around. “Senator!” He marched on. Was he dumb? In the end she dashed down the hallway, drawing all sorts of attention to herself. _Damn, he has long legs._ She landed right behind him and planted a hand on his shoulder. “Senator Skywalker!” He swiveled so fast she almost faceplanted on his chest.

“How can I help you?” he asked in the most charming tone with a glowing smile. They were stopped in the center of the hall. Senators flowed around them.

“I’m your Jedi protector. I’ve been trying to catch you for twenty minutes.” _Very professional, Padmé._

He lifted an eyebrow, affecting a surprised face. “Oh, I didn’t know you would be coming so soon.” He definitely knew. “But as you can see no one is currently trying to murder me for political gain so why don’t you let me get on with my day. I’m sure you have much more important things to be doing.” The smile never left his face.

“Sorry senator but you’re my assignment so consider me as good as glued to you until we can sort this out.” _Pompous jerk. Two can play at this game._

He mulled it over for a second and slowly began to nod. “Ok, well in that case we better get going. Let’s see if we can find someone for you to battle along the way. Wouldn’t that be fun?” With that he quickly led them away with those damn long legs.

They ended up back in the Senator’s quarters, which were much less luxurious than Padmé would have expected. She had seen several Senator’s quarters in her time, and they were always some combination of ridiculously large and ridiculously far off the ground. After all, the closer to the Sun you are on Coruscant the more expensive the space.

For some inconceivable reason the Senator took off both his vest and shirt upon entering the living room. He was young and pretty handsome but if he thought this would be some sort of distraction for her, he was wrong. Padmé leaned against the corner of the room with a disinterested look on her face. He had drifted over to the window, directly into the line of sight of a dozen other buildings and quite possibly a sniper.

“You do realize that someone is trying to kill you right? This is serious. They almost got to you once. I think you need to appreciate the danger here and maybe step away from the window.” He scoffed.

“So serious, Miss Jedi. Trust me, the people on Coruscant don’t want me dead nearly as much as most of Tatooine.” He drifted off. Maybe he wanted to say more but didn’t deem her a good enough audience. “I’m going to get some shut-eye. Been up at all hours for this damn job. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” And then he was gone, disappeared into what she assumed was the bedroom. _Well at least he isn’t running away anymore._

Just a moment later her communicator chirped. “Obi-Wan?” His face popped up. “How goes the investigation? Am I done following this guy around yet?”

He smirked. “I work fast Padmé, but not that fast. I wanted to know how you were settling in with our Senator.”

“Well, first of all I think he’s been trying to slip me. Second of all he has me just sitting in his kitchen while he gets his beauty sleep. I thought he at least had a job to do or that he would be a little talkative. He’s not even slightly scared of getting merced! I get the feeling he doesn’t have a soft spot for Jedi. I hope you’re having a better day than me.”

“Not exactly. None of the Senators I’ve talked to have been of any help.”

“None of them have seen anything?”

“That’s not the problem. Every single one I ask knows at least one other senator who would be angry enough the call in a hit on our beloved Senator. It seems as if he’s really hit the ground running here on Coruscant.

“Yeah, trying to tick everyone off, including me.” That caused him to tilt his head in his very Obi-Wan way.

“What did you say he was up to again?”

“Napping. He needs to keep up that glowing skin of his, I guess.”

“Padmé… Didn’t you just say he was trying to slip you?”

She paused for just a second, “Oh, kriff.” And bolted for the door. She yanked it open and as she had assumed it was the bedroom. However, there was no young senator asleep there. In fact, the bed wasn’t even ruffled. And right in front of her the window had been left ajar.

She moved to look out, only to see the steep drop to the next ledge. “Either this guy can fly or he’s a lot more skilled than he looks.” _I just got duped by a poncy senator from a dust ball._

“Better track him down before he walks into his own death, don’t you think young one?” Kriff, Obi-Wan was still on the line. She groaned quietly to herself and ended the connection before his smug face could get to her. _Time to find the dolt._

Padmé herself opted for the turbolift to get back to street level. She was only in the kitchen for a good ten minutes, there was no way he could have gotten far. _If I were a difficult senator where would I go?_ He couldn’t be stupid, seeing as he had already evaded her once. He also wouldn’t go anywhere too exposed knowing that someone was out to get him. In the end she chose the road that led to the lower levels in this sector. If his apartment was any evidence, he had more familiarity with the lower classes than most senators.

This specific alley was lined with food stalls and rowdy patrons. Lanterns swung from above, lighting the midway. She chose a stall selling Shaak legs to approach first. She sat in one of the patron seats and the server approached, giving her a strict up and down look.

“What’s a Jedi doing down here?” she said in a harsh voice.

“Would you believe me if I said I was looking for lunch?” Her face said absolutely not. “You know I’m originally from Naboo, I do miss Shaak steaks sometimes.” Padmé tried to aim for leniency.

The server scoffed, showing she was no fool. “Everyone knows the Jedi abduct those kids before they have a chance to miss anything of their home planets. So no, I don’t believe you. What do you want?” She clearly wanted any Jedi gone as soon possible. Probably bad for business.

“I’m looking for someone. Human, male, taller than average, shoulder length blonde hair, pretty face, scar over his right eye.”

“And what’s that information worth to you?” the server retorted. Padmé raised her eyebrows.

“So, are you saying you have information that’s worthwhile to me?”

“I ain’t saying anything but these streets are narrow and there’s only so many shadows to hide in.” With a smirk she held out a hand. _Screw it._ Padmé fished around in her money purse and pulled out a pile of credits. One by one she dropped them in the server’s hand until she seemed pleased and much more welcoming than she had before.

“He passed by here not five minutes ago.” She said. “He was probably headed to Landy’s, down that away.” She pointed down the lane. “He likes to get lunch there.” Padmé gave her an incredulous look. “Say hi to Anakin for me when you find him. Make sure he stays out of trouble, will you? That boy could find a gundark nest in the highest building on Coruscant.”

Padmé tried to give her a scathing look, “Will do.” She couldn’t lie to herself though, it was good to know that the people down here had the Senator’s back, even if he was trying his best to get murdered.

She followed the path pointed out by the cheeky server. It led down an even more claustrophobic alleyway and the stalls became holes in the wall. The only way she could tell that she had made it to the correct place was the sign drawn in chalk above this certain hole in the wall, reading “The Galaxy-renowned Landy’s Pub”. The inside was lit with blue fluorescents and only two figures populated the place: a Dug with a frankly ridiculous chef’s hat on and a man lounging in the corner covered in a black cloak and sipping on a blue milkshake. Unsurprisingly the milkshake drinker was in fact the Senator from Tatooine.

His eyes widened when they met her’s. Before he could get a chance to run Padmé marched over and slapped a cuff on his wrist, attaching the other to her own wrist. “The Shaak leg seller says hello,” she said, lowering herself into the chair opposite him.

He rolled his eyes, “I knew I shouldn’t have stopped by Oaknee’s! Such a gossip, that one.” He brought his non-bound hand up to take a sip from his milkshake. For a runner he certainly didn’t look too upset at being caught. “So now that you’ve caught me what are you going to do with me Miss Jedi?” The smirk was really enough. Padmé could have done without the wink.

“Oh, I don’t know Senator, make sure no one kills you maybe?”

“Come on! No one wants to kill me down here. We’re among friends here, isn’t that right Landy?” He raised the milkshake to salute the dug behind the counter. Landy’s response was in Huttese and it certainly didn’t sound friendly. Maybe that was just how Huttese sounded to core worlders.

“A woman just sold your location for the equivalent of two of those shakes, and you think this is the best place to avoid professional assassins?” She said, beginning to question how smart this man really was.

He swiped his hand through the air dismissively, “Oak knew you weren’t up to anything bad. Anyone with an ear to the street knows that I have a jedi guard, and you aren’t exactly inconspicuous. But you’re definitely a good person to make a buck off of.” He looked her up and down, just like Oak had. Padmé honestly didn’t know what was so conspicuous about the plain brown robes she always wore.

She shook her head. This wasn’t about her. “So that’s why you came down here? To hide? Seems to me like a lot of effort to go to for a milkshake in a hole.” She couldn’t help but think back to that window. The drop was so far. And thinking back to it, how did he make it to that other senator’s pod the first time she had seen him?

“Actually, I came down here to find my assassin.” He gave her the most infectious grin she had ever seen. For a moment the room glowed gold instead of blue. His eyes sparked and she almost forgot that they were several million miles away from the sun. He gave her a look like, _so what do you think?_ And she shook her eyes free of the little star in the room.

“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.” He had the gall to look a little hurt. “Even if you could get information on who is trying to kill you down here someone could be payed off to give you bad intel or to lure you into a trap of some sort. How do you plan on pulling off a full-scale investigation without someone watching your back?”

The confidence stole back into his eyes, and maybe even a little hope. “Was that an offer Miss Jedi?”

“That depends. Do you really think you can learn something that Obi-Wan won’t up top?” She asked.

“Do I? Do you really think that Jedi Knight is going to get any information out of my political opponents? You’d have to be blessedly lucky to find one honest man in that group, let alone one that will give you good information. And it isn’t even the openly malicious ones to look out for. Most of them just look the other way. So, you tell me if _you_ think Master Kenobi is going to have any luck with those fools.” She considered him for a second.

“If you are determined to come down here and investigate then I suppose the best way to protect you is to help out.” She said, a sly grin taking over her lips.

“I see I have an opportunist on my hands! Well, if we’re going to be working together, you’re going to have to tell me your name.” At that Padmé reached out, a key in her hand, and unlocked the cuffs around their wrists. They clanked heavily as they hit the table. Without saying anything she offered up her hand to shake on it. His expression clearly said that he felt that he had won.

His hand engulfed her’s and was rough with callouses. It would have felt nice if not a second later she was behind him, his arm was yanked high on his back, and he had been shoved bodily into the table. A muffled “Hey!” left his mouth but otherwise he could barely struggle.

She leaned down near his ear so she could be sure he heard, “We will go along with whatever little plan you have but if you try to slip me again or get us into a dangerous situation, I will drag you back to your apartment and tie you to your couch.” She pushed his arm in a little harder, causing him to groan a little in pain. “Do you understand?”

“Yes! Definitely! Heard loud and clear… Please let me go?” he all but whispered. She leaned in just a little closer.

“My name is Padmé. And I’m here to protect you. I’m on your side, okay?” She finally let him go and fell back into her chair. He let out a loud sigh and rubbed the back of his head, eyes a bit clearer than before.

“Understood. I think this partnership will work out just fine, don’t you?” The grin didn’t stay off his face long, did it?

In the end the Senator demanded that she let him finish his milkshake. “The low lives aren’t going anywhere Miss Jedi.” So, one could see why she would be a bit grouchy. When he finished he stood abruptly, reminding her of just how tall he was. As he walked out he threw some form of money that definitely wasn’t credits at Landy. In return the Dug gave the Senator a salute with is back… or maybe front hand?

“So where exactly is it that we’re going?” She said into the silence.

“Warehouse district. That’s where more of the illegal dealings get done. Big time crime requires a place to store shipments. It also helps that there’s not supposed to be that many people there. Makes it a bit more inconspicuous.” They had started down a path that gently sloped into the depths of the city. The food stalls also started to drift into the distance behind them.

“And what are we supposed to do there? Barge in there, threaten some lives, and demand information?” She glanced over at him. His face was half cast in shadow, the other half being warmly lit by the hanging lamps. Without the scar he looked like a normal young man.

“Why? Would that be fun for you?” He threw back at her.

“Extortion isn’t exactly my forte,” she said, as if she wasn’t literally sworn to uphold all righteousness.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ve got a friend down there; he’s got his finger on the pulse of most of the crime in this sector. He’ll help me out.” She looked back at him disbelievingly. She had been doing that a lot lately.

“What kind of senator has a friend in organized crime?” _Who is this guy?_ She couldn’t help wondering at how this confusing man had ended up a senator in the first place.

“You’ll find that a lot of senators are a lot more than friends with organized crime. I’m not established enough for that quite yet.” His statement held the content of a joke, but clearly this bothered him. She let silence reign for a few minutes. This place wasn’t truly silent, however. The pipes all around them creaked with steam, their footsteps rang off the asphalt, and distant murmurs could be heard from the rooms that served as homes on this level. The farther they descended the steeper the incline into the bowels of the city became. 

“How old are you anyway? You’re the youngest senator I’ve ever seen.” He smirked at that.

“Nineteen as far as I know.” That was even younger than she had thought.

“As far as you know?” She asked. A little humor swept into his eyes. Before she might have read it as egotism.

“Well how long ago was the last great sand monsoon in Coruscant years?” He asked.

“That cannot be a real thing,” was her only response. She had traveled far and wide, to more planets than she could remember. Admittedly she had never been to Tatooine, but that sounded like banthashit. 

“And you?” He let out after a second.

“I’m twenty-four standard years.”

“How are you still a padawan at twenty-four?” Somehow, he knew that she was a padawan but hadn’t known her name ten minutes ago. _Now that’s just rude._

“That’s not old! Obi-wan became a knight at twenty-five.” Why she felt the need to defend herself to this man she didn’t know.

“If Obi-Wan’s not your master then who is?” He asked. Now it was her turn to be a little humorous.

“Oh, you’ll never see him. He’s been in constant meditation for the last 6 years,” she said, as nonchalant as possible. That made him stop walking suddenly. He turned to talk to her face.

“Now that’s for sure not a real thing. There’s no way they’d let _you_ just run wild for six years.” She took a little offense to that. Obviously if she was off on this assignment, then the council was more than fine with her training, or lack thereof.

“Oh, my master still trains me, we just train through the force.” Anakin squinted at her as if to reassure her that he still thought the concept was ridiculous. He let the statement lie, but Padmé felt slightly disappointed, wanting him to poke and prod at it like he had all day.

Before anything else could be said, “Oh!” A drop of water hit Padmé square in the nose. Within several seconds more drops had hit the top of her head and without warning it was now raining. She scrambled to pull the hood of her cloak up, the Senator doing the same.

But he didn’t flinch away from the rain. He held his hands palm up, catching some of the moisture, and giggled to himself. She looked around and up, trying to find the source of it. The street they traveled down was narrow but there was no ceiling visible above them. Even so, she knew there was no way that there was sky up there. She turned back to the contented senator. “How is this possible? We left the topside behind ages ago.”

“Condensation on the pipes,” he said without looking at her. “The moisture builds up underneath all the topside buildings and eventually just falls. There’s so much water on this world, even underground, even with no oceans.” He let his hands fall. “Don’t drink it.” As if that wasn’t obvious. With that they were off again.

By this time the street had started to broaden and instead of swinging lanterns there were blue-tinted floodlights far above them. They had entered the warehouse district and the Senator was correct, barely a soul in sight.

Abruptly the Senator stopped and turned towards her. They had paused under a thin metal overhang, the heavy droplets banging away above them. A serious look spread through his face. “This is the place… And I need you to let me go in alone.” She gave him a disbelieving look. “If this guy sees a jedi he’s going to run, and I’ll never get the information we need. Please don’t let him see you.” His fingers were fiddling with a cord in his sleeve. Several square pendants hung from it. Padmé looked him over, trying to discern if this was just another attempt to get away, but the quirk to his eyebrow, the restlessness of his hands said otherwise. She nodded slowly, hoping she hadn’t just signed their death warrant.

He let out a sigh, met her eyes, and then disappeared into the dark entrance of a nearby warehouse. She leaned back underneath the overhang, trying her best to relax. Her eyes scanned the street but the area that was lit was empty and all the surrounding shadows were totally obscured by the heavy rain. She wouldn’t even be able to hear anyone approaching the way it was coming down.

She waited patiently for a total of two minutes before she couldn’t take it anymore. She dashed across the lit portion of the street quickly, staying out of sight. Approaching the door the Senator had entered she found a convenient window to peep in from. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. The inside was very badly lit. She could spy two figures, probably the Senator and his informant. Looking beyond that the building seemed to be filled with large boxes, a normal warehouse by all pretenses.

That was, until she saw the child in the cage. Padmé’s eyes widened and her heart beat loudly in her ears. It was dark and difficult to parse but that was definitely a small Twi’lek in a large cage at the back of the room. She scoured the rest of the room. _What the fuck is this?_ Her panic took over her brain, short circuiting until the only thing she could see was that child. There was a reason she wasn’t supposed to go in, a reason she wasn’t supposed to rip this building to pieces. But at this moment she really couldn’t remember that reason.

Before she knew what was happening she was moving fast, past the door and into the warehouse itself. Without the window to block her she could now see the Senator clearly. He was speaking tensely with a non-human. Again, her eyes found the child at the back of the room. They were pushed up against the back of the cage and curled in on themself.

Determined to march right over and burn the lock off the cage herself she started across the floor. She heard a distant “Fuck!” but didn’t stop. That was until a hand was grabbing her shoulder, holding her back. Her hand went to the arm, ready to use as much force as she needed.

“Padmé!” That stopped her, for only enough time to look up into the Senator’s eyes. _He’s scared. Why is he scared? I’m going to fix this._ Then his eyes drew her’s over to the sentient he had been talking to. He hadn’t run off, but his face said it was a close thing.

The Senator leaned in to whisper in her ear. “That’s Chulla. He’s been undercover in the slave trade on Coruscant for months now. He’s a true brother. It’s hard to see this day after day and still want to throw yourself into the fray. I can’t lose his help, so wait outside and I promise I’ll come out when I’m done.” But her eyes were trapped on the little child and obviously the Senator had seen them too. He grasped her shoulder harder, just to get her attention. “We can’t help them if we don’t know who’s running the operation. _Please._ ” Her eyes met his. For the first time in their acquaintance the Senator gave her a truly desperate look. And for some reason she trusted that.

Anger still raging in her mind, she fled the warehouse. Out the door, to the left there was an alley. There she slid to the ground, her head in her hands, the strangely warm wall pushing on her spine. Breathe in, and out, and don’t cry. Padmé knew she should release the pain into the Force. She should at least control her breathing, her fucking tears. But who was she if she wasn’t angry at this?

There was no one there to see, no master there to reprimand her. So, she let herself cry and maybe even yell. No one would hear her through the deluge. Hard walls surrounded her; a hard sky sat some indiscernible distance above her. She didn’t know. She hadn’t known. She just sat there, not counting the seconds. Her face was hot and wet, but that could have been the rain.

When Anakin finally emerged from the warehouse, he didn’t go to immediately find Padmé. Instead, he slowly walked to the middle of the alley, lowered the hood of this cloak, and gently tipped his head back. He let the artificial rain stream down his face, never flinching. For once his shoulders were slumped and his face was totally relaxed.

Padmé let the sight wash over her. The Senator seemed to be floating in the floodlight. A distorted reflection of his body lived in the asphalt below him, streaking towards the darkness. Had Padmé ever relished the rain like that? _He looks like an angel._ She tore her eyes away. This was somehow too intimate, too personal to witness.

He hadn’t noticed her. She was just a pile of cloth at the entrance to the alley. She stared straight ahead at the opposite wall. She didn’t hear footsteps, but he was suddenly at her side, looking down at her. She must have looked pitiful. A hand came down in front of her. She took it and let him yank her back up to her feet. Once she was up she could see his eyes again. There was no pity there but understanding pulled his lips tight. For a moment he raised his hand up and she thought he might wipe her tears away. But in the end, he grasped her wrist gently and pulled her from the alley.

His hair was soaked, his clothes heavy around him. Somehow, he looked anything but pathetic. His face was hard set as he charted the path back up the pitched road. “Let’s get back, shall we?” He looked back towards her, a sympathetic twinge to his lips. She stared for a second. His eyes looked black in all this darkness. She nodded. And with that he turned back towards the road and marched on.

She couldn’t think and she didn’t absorb any of their surroundings as they ascended. All she knew was one moment it was raining and the next it was blessedly quiet. They went on, they drew closer to the topside, the lamps became warmer in color. At one point much later, she looked up through the gap in the towering buildings and realized that the darkness above was not the darkness of living inside a box, but the darkness of the sky itself.

Night had come and the Senator guided them back to his apartment. She felt slightly bad for the wet mark she must be leaving on the couch, but she really needed to sit down. The Senator retreated into his bedroom and returned wearing a dry set of clothes and a dry cloak, which he gave to Padmé. The numbness was slowly passing from her veins, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to feel again right now.

The Senator lit the fireplace and when the silence was enough she steeled herself, “So what exactly are you trying to achieve here?”

He leaned over the fire, being careful to gaze at it and not at her. “Probably not something you want to be involved in.”

“Well, I’m involved. So, what is it?” She charged on. She had seen that child in a cage and he wasn’t going to scare her away from what she needed to accomplish.

“I lied to you.” He finally turned to face her. “And for that I’m sorry. But right now I need to find a way to disrupt this slaving operation. They’ve been active on Coruscant for years, and right now they are associated with someone in the senate who’s protecting them. I needed to find out who so I could bring it all down.” She nodded a little.

“So that’s why you brought us down there,” she said. “Not to find your assassin, but to bring down this operation.” She absorbed that for a minute. She had been tricked. But not for a reason that she would have expected. “I understand.” _It’s deplorable. Wicked._ “But how did you get wrapped up in this? I knew there were still some places outside of the Republic’s reach that practiced slavery, but _Coruscant_?”

He grimaced. “It’s more pervasive than you would think. They hide them as house servants, handmaidens, things like that. If not members of the senate, then who would protect these scumbags?” He said. He took a second to consider. Padmé could tell there was something he wasn’t necessarily comfortable saying. “You didn’t read my file before you took this assignment, did you?”

She was a bit surprised. Honestly, she hadn’t, assuming that this senator was just like any other, if a little more irritating. “No…”

He barreled forward, “Until four years ago I was a slave.” That statement hung in the air, sucking the breath out of her. “So, you can see I’m very familiar with the practice. That was my purpose really, coming here. I wouldn’t have accepted this position if I didn’t think I could use it to free others.” 

This all made a terrifying amount of sense. Looking past the Senator to the buildings outside, to the passing speeders, the glowing apartments, she knew that she wouldn’t change what had happened. Better to be here with a clear understanding of what had to be done than be out there and ignorant.

“How can I help?” He startled. Did he think that she would lock him away?

“I need to go to the senatorial gala tomorrow.” He said, cautious. “The one protecting these slavers is going to be there and he’s going to make some sort of deal. Where there’s a deal there’s data so if I can get my hands on one of their datapads then maybe we can prove what they’ve been up to. Maybe I could even find the location of their other warehouses.” She waited for him to continue.

“But?” _What’s the catch?_

“But the gala is exposed, out in the open. There’s no way the Jedi Council would let us go with the hit called on me. I wouldn’t be surprised if these are the people who want me dead, at least to keep me away for this night. I haven’t exactly been subtle about my opinions since getting here.” _That’s putting it mildly._

He’s right, the council would hate this. Obi-Wan would hate this. So, there’s not exactly a lot of support for her here. But then she remembered what Obi-Wan had said at the beginning of all this. Someone had actually tried to kill him two nights ago.

“The first time you were attacked, it was here right?” It would only make sense. He was expected to be here every night. If he wasn’t expecting it this would be the best place to murder him.

“Yes…” He clearly didn’t know where this was going.

She nodded enthusiastically. “And you drove them away somehow.”

“I saw something weird, flashing.” He pointed at the window. “They missed the first shot and I got one off at them. I’m pretty sure I hit them cause they ran but I never actually saw them.” She could work with this.

“So, they’re not going to try that again. They can only get you in public. If you make some sort of announcement about the gala tomorrow, then maybe they could be lured out. You get your slaver and I get my assassin. Win-win.” She had taken on a bit of a sheen. Excitement took over. She liked this plan; it was a lot more fun than letting Obi-Wan do all the work.

The Senator leaned in, his arms crossed, and face lit by the fireplace. “Are you forgetting something Miss Jedi? The Council?”

She waved dismissively, “Leave them to me.”

He let out a sigh. Some of the stress left his shoulders. He definitely looked like he could use some sleep. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

A small amount of planning later and the Senator had finally gone to bed, basically limping into his room. Padmé took a minute more to absorb everything that had happened and everything that still needed to happen. She pulled her communicator from her now dry robes.

Obi-Wan picked up in two seconds. “Don’t say anything.” She pre-empts. “He’s still alive and whole.”

“Then may I ask why you’re calling?” He looked as exhausted as her.

“I’m assuming you haven’t gotten anywhere… No offense. But I need you to get me an audience with the council tomorrow, which also means I need you to babysit the Senator for a few hours.”

His eyebrow did that thing it does. “So, you have some sort of plan? And you think you can convince them of it?”

She grinned. “When have they ever been able to say no to me?” He nodded, knowing it was mostly true. She had a talent for convincing the council that her ideas were _technically_ not against the code. Maybe they were just impressed that she would try in the first place.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “And Padmé?”

“Yes Master?”

“Get some sleep,” he said, smiling comfortingly.

“Will do Obi-Wan.” She felt her heart warm slightly as she ended the connection. She stared into the fire before her, pulling her robe over her feet. The room was dark and warm and before she knew it, she was dreaming.

When she blinked awake it was to soft clacking noises in the kitchen. The fire had gone out and the sun’s soft morning light shone through the window. She hadn’t woken up early enough to witness the sunrise in ages. Not that you could see it through the city, but it had its own charms. She pulled herself up, a blanket falling from her body. No wonder she had felt so warm.

When she walked through the doorway into the kitchen the Senator poked his head up and smiled welcomingly. His face was relaxed, his hair surprisingly messy. He was dressed in what looked to be soft sleep pants and a short t-shirt, all in warm colors like the rest of his wardrobe. He offered her a small teacup. “Tzai? It’s my mom’s recipe.” She had no clue what that was, but she took it without a word. It smelled spicy and warm. She took a sip and it felt like the living room the night before: warm and cozy.

“Do you talk to her much? You’re mother?” She couldn’t help her curiosity. What other extraordinary things could be true about him?

“She’s still on Tatooine. She said Coruscant’s atmosphere was too wet and she would just end up soggy. Besides, my job is here but her’s is there.” He clearly missed her. “But we talk through holos at least once a week.” She left it there, quietly sipping her tzai. The Senator was cooking some sort of egg concoction.

“I’m going to speak to the council today. Obi-Wan will be watching over you while I’m gone.” He shrugged.

“While you’re out you’re going to need some new clothes. That is, if you can convince them of our little plan.” She gave him a bit of a scandalized look.

“Senator, so little faith?”

“Oh, I have all the faith in the galaxy in you.” He gave her a pointed look. “But those old coots on the council? Let’s just say I hope you give them a good verbal pummeling.” She smiled contentedly, letting herself enjoy this little calm before the storm.

Obi-Wan took over her post and she went to see the council just as planned. She may have made it sound easy to the Senator, but the meeting lasted for more than two hours. _Force, they could argue over the efficacy of the color green for hours._ In the end her plan passed, mostly due to Master Yoda’s amusement at the thought of Padmé at a senatorial function. He never made his feelings obvious in the force, but he was more mischievous than he seemed on the surface.

Padmé had just enough time to visit the temple wardrobe before she needed to escort the Senator to the gala. Contrary to popular belief the jedi actually owned more than neutral robes. They needed clothes for any assortment of undercover assignments. Padmé didn’t appreciate most forms of garish fashion so she was rather pleased to find a simple but fine pair of black trousers, a waistcoat, and white dress shirt. There was delicate silver embroidery on the waistcoat, and she chose a longer cape that matched. The cape was really more decorative than she would like but at least the tall boots she had found were good for running in.

While she was wondering around, she had been noticed by a hairdresser who was slightly too enthusiastic and insisted that she put her hair up in a series of complex braids. Who was she to ruin the poor hairdresser’s day by saying no? Exiting the clothing department Padmé felt her back straighten and her chin raise in an imitation of that haughty look she had seen on many politicians before.

She approached the Senator’s apartment once again, hoping that he hadn’t driven Obi-Wan too crazy while she was gone. She knocked and waited for slightly longer than she thought necessary. Several banging noises could be heard from inside, as well as a soft “Ouch!”. When the door opened instead of a put-upon Obi-Wan she saw a golden figure and couldn’t help but gasp.

The Senator was reflecting every light source around him. The forms of his clothes were simple enough, billowing pants, a sleeveless undershirt that exposed his midriff, and a flowing top hanging from his shoulders, all in shades of mauve and goldenrod. What was extraordinary was the complex shining gold embroidery that covered his top. He could be a literal prince for all the jewelry on him. His fingers held intricate wire rings, golden hoops hung from his ears, a magnificent necklace with seven dangling coins shone on top of his chest. Oddly, a large pearl hung from a sash on his hip. Any other man would have drowned in it. But he didn’t look like a mannequin used to show off rich goods. He held himself tall, like every piece of jewelry was a proud story. Somehow his eyes were soft with an unseen emotion and much bluer than they had ever seemed before.

She was gaping. Good force she was stuck in his doorway and hadn’t said anything and she was staring. “Is that Padmé?” Obi-Wan asked from inside. She finally startled into moving, pushing past the Senator and into the safety of another’s company. _Force, he probably thinks I’m obsessed with him now. Why didn’t he say anything?_

“Hi Master,” she said quietly. The Senator trailed after her, his usually running mouth silenced.

Obi-Wan nodded, approving of her appearance. “I see Lena got to you.” He suddenly swiveled. “What do you think Senator?”

The Senator gulped, not meeting her eyes. “You look… nice.” _Force, I’ve made him so uncomfortable._ Padmé shot a glare at Obi-Wan and saw right through his serious mission face to the amusement below.

“We should be going shouldn’t we,” she rushed out before anything else could be said.

“Absolutely,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll be right outside of the building once you wrap things up, should this work.” All three of them set out towards the gala venue. Too soon Obi-Wan broke off to take up his position, leaving Padmé and the Senator alone once again. They had spent so much time together yesterday, yet this was somehow so much harder.

The Senator looked over at her briefly. “You really do look great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Jedi so glamorous.” A blush flooded her cheeks.

“You too.” She blurted out. “I mean-- most senators dress pretty extravagantly, but you look great too.” This was frankly embarrassing. Both of them looked away, pretending to find something interesting in the walls as they passed. For several seconds the only sound was the Senator’s sandals and Padmé’s boots striking the marble floors. They had reached the location of the gala: a posh hotel with more clear airspace around it than any other building.

The ballroom was on the top floor, so they had a very long turbolift ride up. There was no one else in this specific lift so Padmé could say one last thing before they saw how this panned out.

“I really do hope this works. Not just for me, either. This might be the most important mission I’ve been on and the council hasn’t even approved it.” She turned to face him.

“Well, I wouldn’t be here without you. I highly doubt any other Jedi protector would have gone along with this, so I really have to thank you.” His eyes met her’s; steely determination laid there.

The lift chimed and they gave each other one last nod before the doors opened and music washed over them. Immediately the Senator’s face transformed into a jovial smile as he swept into the hall. Officials were everywhere, bounding across her field of vision. Some were carousing, some talking, even a few dancing off to the side. The twirling colors and uplifting music could have lifted Padmé off her feet if this wasn’t to be the site of an illegal trade deal for sentient lives.

“Come on, I need to see if they’ve arrived.” The Senator started moving in the direction of all the other people. It was at this moment that Padmé remembered she was supposed to be on the look-out for a deadly assassin. She kept her eyes peeled, scanning the hall, while she followed the Senator.

He stopped in front of what looked to be the Senator from Axxila and caught him up in conversation. Padmé was several steps behind and didn’t involve herself. She was just scanning the upper balconies for possible sniper positions when a rather out of breath human woman sidled up next to her. “So, you’re here with the Tatooinian Senator, right?” What was she so excited for?

“I suppose so,” Padmé responded.

“He’s never brought anyone to one of these things.” _He’s only been here a month, could he really have gotten up to that much?_ “But I’m not surprised he brought someone as stunning as you,” the mystery woman finished off. Padmé honestly expected her to shuffle off at this point but since she wasn’t, she guessed that she had to make _some_ sort of small talk.

“So, what’s your profession?” Padmé asked. She could hardly imagine this woman working in government.

“Don’t ask such insolent questions!” She shrieked gleefully. Padmé was a bit taken aback. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorially whisper. “You really should learn that discretion is the name of the game in this place.” Then why was she asking so many questions?

“Where’d Senator Skywalker pick you up then? He’s quite the flirt, isn’t he?” Apparently only gossip was acceptable between women in this setting.

“Not in my experience,” Padmé said. He truly wasn’t, at least not with her. 

“Oh, come on, there must be some juicy reason he brought you!” The woman yelled at entirely too high of a pitch. Granted, the music was quite loud at this point. Only one thing would shake this woman off of her at this point, and that thing was information. Padmé gave her exactly what she wanted.

Summoning up an embarrassed look, Padmé turned back towards her. “Honestly, I just work in a food stall on the lower levels.” She lowered her own voice to a whisper. “He’s been pestering me for weeks and I guess I just finally had to say yes.” She tried to project that she really had no idea what she was doing here. She held out her palm. “I mean look,” she said, displaying her calluses. “I work all day and you all live up here with your gorgeous gowns and galas.”

The woman gave her a triumphant look. _Was that juicy enough for you?_ “It’s so good of him to give someone like you a trip up here. Wow, what a kind soul.” She gazed off towards the Senator, stars in her eyes. Without another word she drifted away toward the food table.

_Thank the force._ Padmé let out a sigh. The Senator was also making his way back over to her, done with this conversation.

“I see you’re making friends.” He grinned. Padmé rolled her eyes. “They aren’t here yet. Jord says they tend to be extremely fashionably late, so we haven’t missed anything. Any sign of my would-be assassin?” He asked.

“Not as of yet but I’ll keep a watch out. Honestly, you could kill someone so many ways at one of these things. Don’t eat any of the food, they could drug it. Someone could have a sniper in the balcony. Somebody could slip a vibroblade into as they pass by, it’s so packed.” She looked back up at him, his lips curled up on one side.

“While I do enjoy you listing all the ways I could be murdered, why don’t we do something a bit more productive with our time?” Without another word he swept her up and suddenly they were in the middle of the dance floor. The band was playing a Mantooine Minuet.

They were an arms-length away from each other. He grasped her knuckles and rapidly started counting under his breath. “One, two, three, four, five, six…” All the couples on the floor were dancing in circles around each other, all revolving around a ginormous central flower arrangement. She giggled, noticing that the Senator was gazing down at his own feet.

“I do know how to dance a minuet you know, Senator.” He looked up in surprise.

“Well, I’m rather new to it so I’m sure you’ll give me some mercy,” he said, a bit sheepish.

“Just follow me, the best thing to learn is a good partner.” And follow he did. Somehow, they kept up with the rest of the revolving room, passing nearby others, but never colliding. He finally perfected the steps and looked up at her across their joined hands. _He truly does glow, doesn’t he?_ She wondered how that grin would look under better circumstances. They were both smiling as they swept around the room, feeling the satisfaction of hitting the right steps at the right time, with a partner who was doing the same.

When the minuet came to a sudden close, they were both slightly out of breath. “Good job, Senator. I’d say you are well on your way to being a true socialite.” He grinned once again and gave her a little bow in return.

“This student is gracious.” Quietly at first the band began an Audabe piece, orchestrated to better fit their classical arrangement. “Would you allow me one more?” He held out his hand and Padmé really didn’t see the harm in taking it. This time he pulled her in, clasping her hand and resting his other on his hip. They were much closer like this and the steps were much less complicated than before. This dance essentially boiled down to gentle swaying and side steps, so they were swept in a circle. She was looking out over his shoulder, that is how close they were. If she tried hard enough maybe she would hear his heart beating at the same volume as her’s.

His hand readjusted on her hip and she almost jumped out of her boots, sparks moving across her skin where his fingers had gone. The music was gentle and he was shimmering as he moved, she was sure.

Having swayed to the other side of the room, Padmé caught a glance of the mystery woman from earlier over the Senator’s shoulder. She looked rather stern, much more serious than before. Maybe jealousy? Padmé felt a small bit of satisfaction well up inside of her and she glanced back a second time. Still pissed, but this time a green shimmer passed over her face, barely noticeable. “Something’s wrong,” she said. The Senator seized up. She tried to get another glance, but they had passed to the other side of the room.

“What?” He asked quietly. “My admirer?”

“I could have sworn I saw her skin change.” Padmé tried to center herself. “I’ll try to tell what it was on the next pass.” Her heart was pumping much faster this time, turning the gentle ballad in the air into a raucous thing.

“Wait!” The Senator called urgently. “They’re here.” The forcedamned slavers must have showed up. She couldn’t see anything from this position. “They’re exchanging something. I need to get over there _right_ now.” He tried to pull away, but she only gripped him closer.

“No. I need to protect you. Something is off here and I’m not letting you go off without me.” Finally, the mystery woman came into her field of vision again. “Kriff,” she cursed. Was that a blade in her hand? Her skin shimmered again, a sickening green. “I need to bring her down before she can do anything!” The Senator pulled away just enough so she could read his face. There was something reassuring in it, regardless of the deadly tension of the situation.

“You go do what you’re good at and I’ll do the same.” He ripped himself away before she could do anything. He winked as he moved backwards, getting absorbed by the crowd. Time to trust this infuriating man, she guessed.

She rushed off the dance floor in the opposite direction. The woman had seen the Senator dash away alone and was shifting to follow, a hard look in her eyes. Padmé shuffled up on her, “Hi again!” She said, a bit too enthusiastic. “How’s your night?” The woman didn’t bother to respond, eyes over Padmé’s shoulder. She swiftly hid the blade behind her back and started toward the direction the Senator had gone in.

Padmé set her arms upon the woman’s shoulders stopping her in her place. _Maybe she’ll stop if she knows she has an attentive audience._ The woman did not stop. She shoved Padmé’s hands off and pushed past her, knocking Padmé off balance in the process. Unfortunately, the swift movement also revealed the lightsaber hilt hanging from her hip.

The presumed assassin turned on her, eyes wide. “Jedi.” The blade came out to play. The woman pounced forward, intent on plunging the blade into Padmé’s heart. It stopped a centimeter from her heaving chest. She had caught the woman’s wrist just a second before the inevitable. Wrenching her wrist around Padmé forced her to drop the vibroblade. The would-be assassin kicked out towards her ankles but Padmé swiftly jumped back and around the woman’s back, pinning her in place.

“Sorry, I don’t have time to dance right now,” Padmé muttered next to her head just before she brought her other arm up to strike the woman’s neck. _Please let this work,_ she sent out into the force. After a second her body collapsed into Padmé’s arms. Padmé gave herself exactly one second of relief before she started dragging the woman off to the side. Looking down she came to the sudden realization that her face was totally different. Her skin was now green and gills peaked out from her neck. A clawdite.

She spied the food tables out of the corner of her eye. Somehow their fight had been caught up in the commotion of the whole party and no one bothered to look towards the very conspicuous body she was dragging. Once next to the tables she immediately tried to fling the body underneath.

When Padmé finished shoving the body under the dessert table she glanced up, then down, then up again to meet the eyes of a stock-still Bothan. _Well, this isn’t good._ Padmé tried her best to look casual and shrugged, “Balls huh?” before backpedaling into the crowd. Once the medics picked the unconscious woman up and ran her profile, they’d find _something_ to hold her on. So really Padmé had already done her job. Now to protect the dolt.

Pushing her way to the other side of the room she caught sight of the Senator having words with a rather aggravated Rodian. He was gesticulating with his blue hands and the Senator looked about ready to argue back. _Did he really think he would get the datapad by asking for it?_ Apparently asking for incriminating data was never really the plan because when Padmé came within yelling distance the Senator drew back his arm, his hand in a fist, and then slammed it into his opponent’s face.

_Fuck._ She pushed forward as fast as she could. The Rodian was on the ground and the Senator had one of his arms in the air, asking for mercy from the bodyguards that were now standing menacingly in front of him. Strangely his other arm was behind his back and he was vigorously shaking his hand. There was the datapad.

She rushed up and took it from him. _He actually got it._ Moving forward, datapad safely stored in her cape, she wrapped her arm around the Senator’s and glared up at the bodyguards. “Let me get this belligerent fellow out of here before anything else can happen, won’t you?” They didn’t say anything. However, they did move towards them and try to grab the Senator.

Without thinking she pulled him forcibly away and within a moment they were pushing through the crowds, as close to a run as they could get. They burst out through the exit into the long marble hallways that surrounded the event. But strangely, in that moment, they didn’t stop running.

“Come on!” The Senator called, grasping her hand and bolting down the hall. They dashed through never-ending columns, weaving in and out of the chandelier light. At one point the Senator started laughing and Padmé couldn’t help but join him.

This is how Padmé found herself gleefully running through the marbled hallways of the tallest building on Coruscant right behind the radiant senator from Tatooine. He charged forward and she followed, both of them delighting in the reverberation of their voices off the walls. She could have sworn he skipped forward at one point. He was grinning so wildly.

At one point they were running and at the next they were slowing down, coming to an exhausted halt against a cold marble column. Her chest was still jolting with laughter and she could swear there were tears streaming down the Senator’s face. He looked up at her, the greatest triumph on his face.

She took out the captured datapad and waved it in front of his face. _How could his eyes get any brighter?_ They did. He grabbed it, a bit of awe in the motion. “Thank you, Padmé,” he finally spoke. It took her breath away.

“No. Thank you, Senator,” she said in disbelief. He had punched a senator. She had shoved an assassin under a food table. They had danced.

He shook his head, but she knew nothing could be wrong in this moment. “Anakin. Call me Anakin.”

She looked into those gleeful, shining eyes, nodded exactly once, and said, “Anakin.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest thing I have ever written but I've been looking for Senator Anakin fics for years so I guess I just had to write one. 
> 
> The jewelry that Anakin wears to the gala is based on Tunisian jewelry.


End file.
